Whether it’s Katherine Brunt’s three gates for the 2009 win in England or Stafanie Taylor shining for the West Indies in 2016 – the T20 World Championship for ICC women has given cricket fans many fond memories.
We have seen three winners, six host countries and countless memorable moments since the first ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2009.
After eleven years since the first tournament in England, we have had many thrills and experiences, but some moments are head and shoulders above the others.
Katherine Brunt’s brilliance at Lord’s (2009)
There are hardly any better memories of the T20 World Championship for women for English fans than that of the first tournament in 2009 – and how can you better profile yourself on the world stage than winning the trophy on home soil?
England and New Zealand contested the first women’s T20 World Cup final at Lord’s, with the host nation playing off the white ferns for 85 thanks to Brunt’s opening spell of three for six.
England shone from start to finish, with Claire Taylor receiving the series’ award while Holly Colvin completed nine tournaments at tournament level.
Colvin and Taylor were supported by Charlotte Edwards, Sarah Taylor and Laura Marsh on the tournament’s ICC team.
Ellyse Perry’s Last over (2010)
There will never be a moment in the T20 Women’s World Cup Final that is Australia’s last win in 2010.
Australia started its unprecedented World Cup success ten years ago when it displaced New Zealand by three runs in Barbados – but without Ellyse Perry’s right foot it could have been a very different story.
Sophie Devine went on strike with New Zealand, which took five to win from the last ball and hammered a powerful drive toward the border of Perry’s delivery.
But the Australian, who also took part in a World Cup for her country, somehow managed to stick her right foot out and deflect the ball to the center to collect a single and her team to the women’s first T20 World Cup victory respectively.
During the tournament, Deandra Dottin from West India scored the first women’s T20I century, 112 not against South Africa, with the 38 balls needed to score three numbers that are still the fastest in WT20Is.
Australia win 2nd-time world title (2012)
A familiar feeling was felt in 2012 when Australia celebrated a narrow victory and defeated England in the final by four runs in Sri Lanka.
Jess Cameron shone in Colombo with a 45 victory, while Julie Hunter impressed with 11 wickets in the tournament.
The highest individual ranking was achieved by the Englishwoman Sarah Taylor with 65 points, who did not drop out in the group phase against the later champions, while Dottin was again significantly involved in the way of the West Indies to the semi-finals and scored an undefeated 58 in the victory over New Zealand.
Bangladesh break the mold (2014)
It was a déjà vu case in 2014 when Australia celebrated its third consecutive title at the T20 Women’s World Cup with a six-wicket win over England in the final.
But the tournament in Bangladesh had so much more to offer than just joy for the yellow team.
The hosts couldn’t survive the group stage, but their first win in the debut was certainly one of the highlights of the tournament. Rumana Ahmed’s team displaced Sri Lanka by three runs in Sylhet.
It was Captain Rumana who scored a game player and scored 41 out of 34 balls – a feat she and her country are keen to replicate in Australia this month.
West Indies Break The Australian Dominance (2016)
The 2016 T20 Women’s World Cup was unique as Australian dominance was broken and a new world champion emerged.
After losing the semi-finals three times already, the West Indies finally broke their curse by doing the showpiece in Calcutta – the match that changed the story of women’s T20 cricket.
Stafanie Taylor’s team breathtakingly secured their first world title – overcoming reigning champion Australia was one thing, but following 149 runs to win the eight-door match was really something else.
The tournament will be remembered for a long time by fans and players of the West Indies. Several names write their names in the history books on the world stage.
Captain Taylor broke a tournament record with 246 runs, while Anisa Mohammed was the first player (male or female) to take 100 T20I gates.
Once again Perry’s match-winning performance (2018)
In 2018, Australia was back at the top – and they breathtaking won their fourth T20 world title for women.
Perhaps most memorable is Ashleigh Gardner’s performance as a player of the game in the eight-wicket final win over England. The all-rounder scored 33 runs and took three wickets, but Meg Lanning’s team was again full of outstanding performers.
Alyssa Healy knocked Ireland out with her 21-ball half-century in the group stage, while Perry was more decisive than ever when she was the first Australian to take 100 T20I gates when she caught Nat Sciver lbw in the final.
If the 2020 edition is something like the six previous tournaments, then the world is definitely on the right track.
With Thailand’s debut on the world stage, the teenage debuts who want to exert influence, and the prospect of breaking a world record audience for a sporting event for women at MCG on March 8th, this year’s tournament has it all to be the best still.
